Sunday, July 3, 2011
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Week One: Setting the Pace
So I have realized something: keeping up with publishing a blog is a lot like balancing my checkbook - the longer I go without doing it, the more daunting the task is. But, nevertheless, here I am trying to cram a week's worth of blogging into one post. So please forgive me for the length of this post! My plan is to post a picture, and then a brief description of what that day entailed! Here we go!
Day 7: Even though it was cloudy, we all thought a beach day was in order. The number of free days were quickly dwindling down, so we knew we had to make it count! It is such an amazing (and distracting) experience living 3 blocks away from the beach. Today was also my first discipleship meeting with my staff member, Nicole. These are one-on-one times to really get insight on things we're interested in and to have a personalized time for growth.
Day 8:
Today we had our first ACTION group meeting. Our ACTION group consists of our roommates and our discipler or staff person. It's essentially just like a small group bible study. It's amazing to see how much God had a hand in picking roommates for this trip. My roommates and I have so much in common that the conversation is never ceasing.
Day 9: Today was the HOTTEST day so far on project. The high: 101 degrees. The humidity: 90%. Uff Da. My idea to escape this? Drive to Philly to pick up another student from the airport! AC in the car = heavenly. Once we got home, the craziness ensued. A short time after dinner, we all began to hear rolls of thunder off to the west. So, we decided it would be fun to head to the beach to watch the storm come in! (Looking back on it, probably not the brightest decision we've ever made, but it is a night I will never forget.) In a matter of 45 minutes, the lightning and thunder went from being far off in the west to completely surrounding us. When we realized we weren't that far off from the bolts of lightning, we decided it was time to head home. Just as we got to the boardwalk, the downpour began. All of us were drenched in a matter of 30 seconds. At that point, we were all thinking "Eh, what the heck" and decided to just play around in the rain. Walking home, the streets were absolutely flooded - to the point where boys were attempting to float down the road on boogie boards. What a night.
Day 10: Today was my last free day. Hard to believe. Like most days, it started out with a run on the beach and some yoga (another benefit of living on the coast!). I was able to skype with a few close friends which was amazing! And, in case you were wondering, the boy pictured above is the cutest boy on project, Trey! Alison, Janae, and I got the lovely chance to babysit him while his parents (Lori and Nate - a staff couple) got to enjoy a date night. What a stud! ;)
Day 11: Incredibly lame picture - I know. But exciting news, this is my place of employment! Yay! I am happy to say that I am working at the Henna Shop on the Boardwalk. It is basically a "cutesy" little store for preteen girls - so we sell jewelry, accessories, hairwraps, and of course Henna! It will definitely be an interesting experience! More to come about this...
Day 12: Sundays are always great. We start the day off with Sunday School and Church - and then move on to an IMPACT group lunch. This Sunday was extra special though. Our partner church here (Ocean City Baptist Church) has a program for the summer called "Adopt a Crusader". Basically, families in the church choose to "adopt" some students from project. Their minimum commitment is to pray for their students - but extra benefits include free dinners and family trips. I am proud to say that myself, along with three other California kids, got adopted by the Pastor! He is very enthusiastic about his students, so it will be exciting to see what my family here will provide for us! After the adoption dinner, a group of us ended up playing Frisbee on the beach - so much fun!
Well, that's all for now! Next blog post I am hoping to highlight some of my favorite talks from the speakers so far!
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore, I will boast in my weaknesses so that Christ's power may rest on me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
It's Photo Time!!!
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| Day 0: The ridiculous amount of stuff that I packed!! |
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| Day 1: Sunset from the walk home from the church. It feels so nice not to have to rely on a car! |
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| Day 2: Fireworks on the Boardwalk for the Amusement Park's anniversary. Such a fun night! |
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| Day 3: Part of my IMPACT group (our girl's bible study plus a boy's bible study) on our way to dinner! |
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| Day 4: Our "Date for Eight" group! Our choice for dinner: leftovers!! |
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| Day 5: First day on the beach! Yay! |
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| Day 6: Us looking like fools trying to spell out "OCSP" with our shadows. |
Thursday, June 2, 2011
We finally made it!!!!!
Well after a long day of travel, we finally made it to Ocean City, NJ last night. Sorry for the delay on the blog post - but along with several other items - I misplaced my computer charger.
So the day started early at 4:30am CA time. Our flight to Salt Lake City left Sacramento at 6:20 - how I did this with no coffee is beyond me. It was great to get to the airport and see my friends from Chico - but goodbyes were terrible too. Luckily I had a week to spend at home to see my family - I had a great day in San Francisco with my mom, a beautiful hike with my dad in Livermore, a hilarious day in Santa Cruz with my friend Allison, and an amazing family BBQ! But back to the flight. We had a speedy connection in Salt Lake and then we were finally on our way to Philly! Once we got off the plane, us California kids just about choked on the humidity and were shocked that it was 95 degrees outside - because wanting to be comfortable, we all traveled in sweats!
Once there, God gave us His first assignment for the summer: Working on our patience. Our plane got in around 4pm and got picked up by the staff around 8pm. One might ask what we did for those four hours. Well, Janae and I searched for food - which ended up being a complete failure because everything was past the security checkpoint; thank goodness for free wifi since that took up a good majority of the wait; and we finally met up with fellow OC'ers waiting for the shuttle!
The first night was full of jet lag, meeting roommates, and organizing the rooms. My roommates are great - from all over the place! Alyssa goes to Illinois State, Lauren is from Miami University in Ohio, and Rachel goes to the U of Minnesota! However, there was one glitch in our room - no working lights... - but luckily, that was quickly resolved!
Fast forward to today - the second day. It was mainly the cleaning day, so our impact group (my roommates and another boy's room) were in charge of cleaning the "Large Intestine". Now, I understand that that sounds disgusting, but trust me, there's a reason for it's name. It's the part of the basement where anything and everything get dumps. For example, we found beach toys, drywall, a toilet, games, decorations, the list goes on and on. Fortunately after a day of work, we were able to relax and go to the Boardwalk - located 3 blocks away from the house! It was the main amusement park's "birthday" - so rides were only $1 each and best of all, there were fireworks!!! It was so great to be able to walk around and make connections with the people I am going to be spending the rest of my summer with!
I know this is going to sound cheesy, but it's true: I feel like I have already been here for a month. I know a majority of everyone's names, and have really made connections with some amazing people. I for some reason keep thinking about the last day of project that is so far away, but realizing how sad I will be, even though I've known these people for 48 hours. It's amazing how close you can get to 101 other college students in 2 days when you see them every waking second!!
That's it for now - hope you enjoyed it!!
PS, pictures will be coming soon!!!!
So the day started early at 4:30am CA time. Our flight to Salt Lake City left Sacramento at 6:20 - how I did this with no coffee is beyond me. It was great to get to the airport and see my friends from Chico - but goodbyes were terrible too. Luckily I had a week to spend at home to see my family - I had a great day in San Francisco with my mom, a beautiful hike with my dad in Livermore, a hilarious day in Santa Cruz with my friend Allison, and an amazing family BBQ! But back to the flight. We had a speedy connection in Salt Lake and then we were finally on our way to Philly! Once we got off the plane, us California kids just about choked on the humidity and were shocked that it was 95 degrees outside - because wanting to be comfortable, we all traveled in sweats!
Once there, God gave us His first assignment for the summer: Working on our patience. Our plane got in around 4pm and got picked up by the staff around 8pm. One might ask what we did for those four hours. Well, Janae and I searched for food - which ended up being a complete failure because everything was past the security checkpoint; thank goodness for free wifi since that took up a good majority of the wait; and we finally met up with fellow OC'ers waiting for the shuttle!
The first night was full of jet lag, meeting roommates, and organizing the rooms. My roommates are great - from all over the place! Alyssa goes to Illinois State, Lauren is from Miami University in Ohio, and Rachel goes to the U of Minnesota! However, there was one glitch in our room - no working lights... - but luckily, that was quickly resolved!
Fast forward to today - the second day. It was mainly the cleaning day, so our impact group (my roommates and another boy's room) were in charge of cleaning the "Large Intestine". Now, I understand that that sounds disgusting, but trust me, there's a reason for it's name. It's the part of the basement where anything and everything get dumps. For example, we found beach toys, drywall, a toilet, games, decorations, the list goes on and on. Fortunately after a day of work, we were able to relax and go to the Boardwalk - located 3 blocks away from the house! It was the main amusement park's "birthday" - so rides were only $1 each and best of all, there were fireworks!!! It was so great to be able to walk around and make connections with the people I am going to be spending the rest of my summer with!
I know this is going to sound cheesy, but it's true: I feel like I have already been here for a month. I know a majority of everyone's names, and have really made connections with some amazing people. I for some reason keep thinking about the last day of project that is so far away, but realizing how sad I will be, even though I've known these people for 48 hours. It's amazing how close you can get to 101 other college students in 2 days when you see them every waking second!!
That's it for now - hope you enjoyed it!!
PS, pictures will be coming soon!!!!
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Colossians 3:12-17
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Back in the Bay
Hello everyone!
So after a crazy week of finals and wrapping up my time in Chico, I am finally back home in Pleasanton for a week before I leave for Ocean City! It feels great to say that I am now a Junior in college; but it is bittersweet knowing that I am halfway through my time in Chico. But regardless, I need to focus on the present, and that is the fact that by this time next week, I will be sitting in the Philadelphia Airport waiting to be shuttled to Ocean City.
Let me tell you, packing has been a humbling experience. I know we all like to think that we have everything in order and that every little detail is planned - but as my roommate Amber can testify - that was not the case this week. I tried to be as organized as possible - but I still found myself yesterday making to do lists and packing at the last minute. I swear, I must have a dozen different lists going! It is amazing to recognize how much stuff I use on a daily basis and knowing that I have to pack all of that for a time span of ten weeks.
Since last night was essentially my last night in Chico for a while, a celebration was in order. My friend Nate had a great group of people over to his house to enjoy a bonfire, S'mores, card games, and an unforeseen thundershower! It was great to see my friends Kyle, Denny, and Michelle who are all O.C. veterans. I feel so blessed to have their insight! They had no problem reminiscing and sharing with me things that are a "must do" while I am there. I will definitely be posting about them as I check them off of my list!
I'm pretty sure I have posted it before, but I will go ahead and put my address for the Summer on here again! I am planning on letters and skype being my main form of communication with everyone!
So after a crazy week of finals and wrapping up my time in Chico, I am finally back home in Pleasanton for a week before I leave for Ocean City! It feels great to say that I am now a Junior in college; but it is bittersweet knowing that I am halfway through my time in Chico. But regardless, I need to focus on the present, and that is the fact that by this time next week, I will be sitting in the Philadelphia Airport waiting to be shuttled to Ocean City.
Let me tell you, packing has been a humbling experience. I know we all like to think that we have everything in order and that every little detail is planned - but as my roommate Amber can testify - that was not the case this week. I tried to be as organized as possible - but I still found myself yesterday making to do lists and packing at the last minute. I swear, I must have a dozen different lists going! It is amazing to recognize how much stuff I use on a daily basis and knowing that I have to pack all of that for a time span of ten weeks.
Since last night was essentially my last night in Chico for a while, a celebration was in order. My friend Nate had a great group of people over to his house to enjoy a bonfire, S'mores, card games, and an unforeseen thundershower! It was great to see my friends Kyle, Denny, and Michelle who are all O.C. veterans. I feel so blessed to have their insight! They had no problem reminiscing and sharing with me things that are a "must do" while I am there. I will definitely be posting about them as I check them off of my list!
I'm pretty sure I have posted it before, but I will go ahead and put my address for the Summer on here again! I am planning on letters and skype being my main form of communication with everyone!
Katelyn Phillips
1301 Central Ave
Ocean City, NJ 08226
If you would like my skype username, go ahead an shoot me an email at katelyncaroline91@gmail.com and I'll give it to you that way!
I can't wait to update the blog from the airport in one week!!
And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.
2 Corinthians 5:15
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Great news!
Hello everyone! I have some amazing news to share with you all: I am fully supported for this summer! It has been amazing to see the Lord continually provide for this adventure. To date, I have raised $3205! This means that I have covered the cost of the project itself ($3150) - and now I'm just working on paying off my plane ticket there! I am also happy to report that, thanks to Rick Brown's mom, Rick, Janae, and I have our flights all booked!! We're leaving May 31st early early in the morning from Sacramento - and after a layover in Utah, we will arrive in Philadelphia in the evening!
It's amazing to think that in a little more than two weeks, I will be on the East Coast!! I can't wait to meet my future roommates and everyone who I know will have a huge impact on my life in the next 3 months.
For people who know me well, they know that I love packing. For example, when I went to Minnesota this past fall for Thanksgiving, I was packing a good three weeks in advance. However, due to the craziness of finals and wrapping up this semester - I have yet to even start thinking about packing!! I have never packed for a two and a half month trip, so I am definitely going in blind! Hopefully once my finals are done on Thursday, I will be able to - first of all have a bonfire and discard all of my notes - and also start the packing list; prayers are appreciated for this!!
It's amazing to think that in a little more than two weeks, I will be on the East Coast!! I can't wait to meet my future roommates and everyone who I know will have a huge impact on my life in the next 3 months.
For people who know me well, they know that I love packing. For example, when I went to Minnesota this past fall for Thanksgiving, I was packing a good three weeks in advance. However, due to the craziness of finals and wrapping up this semester - I have yet to even start thinking about packing!! I have never packed for a two and a half month trip, so I am definitely going in blind! Hopefully once my finals are done on Thursday, I will be able to - first of all have a bonfire and discard all of my notes - and also start the packing list; prayers are appreciated for this!!
This is a verse that I know I will be turning to in wake of three finals next week - so encouraging!
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Hebrews 12:1-3
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